Are you a playwright who has written a script that has not been published? PGC’s Play Distribution Program can help!
Playwrights Guild of Canada uses the Play Distribution Program to distribute scripts on behalf of our members and the publishers of their work. This distribution occurs on our online store, the Canadian Play Outlet. Through this program, we seek to make published and unpublished plays by Canadian playwrights available to interested producers, schools, actors and more, both nationally and internationally.
If you have questions about PGC’s Play Distribution Program, please see the FAQs below, or email orders@playwrightsguild.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Play Distribution Program?
Full PGC members can submit their plays to either the Copyscript or the Stage Ready program streams. Copyscripts are plays that have received a professional production, and upon submission to the Play Distribution Program will receive an ISBN.
Supporting or Student PGC members can only submit to the Stage Ready program, for plays that have not yet received a professional production.
How are submitted scripts distributed?
Plays are sold through PGC’s online bookstore, the Canadian Play Outlet, in digital (PDF) format. The store is available to the public, including producers, teachers, libraries and more at canadianplayoutlet.com.
Does submitting my script to the copyscript program provide copyright protection?
Copyright is automatically bestowed as soon as a creator fixes their work in a tangible form (meaning it is saved on a hard drive, etc. which provides proof of date of creation).
Enrolling plays in this program provides an extra layer of protection. If the script has been professionally produced, it receives an ISBN, so it is registered with the government (which is one method of proving date of ownership). The extra layer of protection isn’t as strong for Stage Ready scripts, since they aren’t registered with the government, but they are registered with us, so we can help provide copyright ownership dates.
For those seeking absolute proof of copyright, you can have your work registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) for a $50 fee. A certificate of ownership is issued, and it can be used in a court of law to prove copyright. To do that, and to read up on copyright, visit: http://www.cipo.gc.ca
What does PGC do to sell scripts?
We are always looking for new ways to increase your script’s visibility. When a script is newly submitted to the CPO, we feature it on the home page of the website, on social media and in our community and member newsletters. We include plays in curated collections on the CPO website for individuals searching for specific themes, and have employed an advanced search function on the website to make plays searchable by cast size, run time, genre, etc.
In 2020, we also introduced a Sample Script Program, which allows producers and teachers to request sample copies of digital scripts that they are considering for classroom use or for a production. You can read more about that program here.
You can help by sharing the link to your play with your own friends, family and followers. It really does make a difference!
